The incredible and exotic island of Sri Lanka is located in the Indian Ocean, not far from India itself. Every year, many tourists come here in search of exotic experiences, beach holidays, and inner peace. You probably won’t be able to pronounce the name of Sri Lanka’s official capital anyway, so it’s better to head straight to the fairytale beach resorts or the unofficial capital — Colombo.
- Immerse yourself in the culture
- Relax on the beach
- Swim in the ocean
- Ride an elephant
- Dive into history
- To go diving
Choose a hotel for yourself
Interesting in Sri Lanka
- Lankan rupee
- Sinhala and Tamil language
The island of Sri Lanka, nestled in the Indian Ocean, enchants visitors with its lush parks, swaying palm trees, sandy beaches, and ancient landmarks. It is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Palk Strait.
Tours to Sri Lanka from New Delhi are available at affordable prices and offer a perfect blend of sightseeing and beach holidays. The island’s southwestern coast is known for its well-developed infrastructure. Exotic natural beauty, stunning beaches, and popular water activities like surfing and diving make this region especially attractive. The island’s treasures include temples, the Yala and Minneriya National Parks, turtle hatcheries, and elephant sanctuaries.
Climate
Sri Lanka has a tropical climate with an average air temperature of around +29°C and water temperature of +26°C year-round. The rainy season hits the western coast from May to September and the eastern coast from November to March. That makes Sri Lanka a year-round destination — just choose the right coast for the season.
Excursions
A trip to Sri Lanka from New Delhi usually includes beach resorts, but thanks to a wide variety of excursions, there’s always something more to discover.
Sri Lanka is world-renowned for its tea plantations — Ceylon tea bearing the image of an elephant has become a global brand. Many excursions focus on this aspect, including traditional tea tastings and the chance to purchase exotic blends. For example, a tour to Nuwara Eliya — a resort surrounded by waterfalls and tea plantations — also features Lake Gregory famous for its trout, colonial mansions, and a luxury golf club.
The Royal Botanical Gardens are home to rare plant species including the aromatic drunken alley of pines, a 2.5 km-wide banyan tree, Burmese giant bamboo that can grow up to 1 meter per day, and a spruce planted by cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
Tours to Sri Lanka from New Delhi also offer the opportunity to climb Adam’s Peak — an iconic pilgrimage site and an ideal spot to witness a breathtaking sunrise.
Pinnawala is home to an elephant orphanage that shelters baby elephants rescued from the wild. Visitors can watch them up close, see them bathe in the river, and even feed them from bottles.
Travel to Sri Lanka from New Delhi becomes especially affordable in the winter months and opens the door to exploring many unique island cities — each with its own special charm.
Kandy
Booking a tour to Sri Lanka from New Delhi means you can visit Kandy — the country’s cultural heart. The trip is well worth it Kandy is a sacred Buddhist city where traditions, crafts, music, and rituals are preserved with deep reverence. Visitors often take home intricately carved wooden handicrafts found nowhere else in the world.
The island’s most revered religious site is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic which houses Buddha’s tooth in a 120-kilogram golden casket. The relic is displayed only once a year during the Esala Perahera festival in August when it is paraded through the streets in a magnificent procession featuring elaborately adorned elephants musicians and dancers carrying torches.
Ratnapura
Tours to Sri Lanka from New Delhi become even more enriching with a visit to Ratnapura — the island’s famed gem-mining town. Known for rubies alexandrites topazes sapphires aquamarines and garnets it is the birthplace of some of the largest sapphires ever found like the Blue Giant of the Orient and the Blue Belle of Asia. Guided tours include descents into active gem mines visits to gem-cutting workshops and a mineralogy museum.
Galle
Galle retains not only colonial architecture but also parts of an old Dutch fort. Among its notable sites are an old prison Buddhist temples and historic residential buildings.
Sigiriya
The Sigiriya Fortress perched on a high plateau is a sprawling palace complex with terraced gardens dating back to the early centuries AD. It is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Colombo
Though often just a transit hub due to its international airport Colombo has much to offer including the Presidential Palace Independence Square and the bustling Pettah market.
Dambulla
Booking a Sri Lanka tour from New Delhi offers a chance to visit one of the largest Buddhist temple complexes in South Asia — the Dambulla Cave Temple. Dating back to the 1st century BCE it consists of five richly decorated caves housing 73 statues of Buddha and vivid murals depicting his life.
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura once the capital of the Sinhalese kingdom is a must-see for history and culture lovers. Its ancient ruins include the Lohaprasada Palace 2nd century BCE and the sacred Bodhi Tree grown from a cutting of the original tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment.
The national symbol of Sri Lanka is the star lotus, also known as the star water lily. It is believed to be one of the 108 auspicious signs found in the footprints of the Buddha.